Bending machine



F. C. CROWE. V

BENDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR.12, 1921.

Patented May 2, 1922,

, I 2 SHEETS-$HEET W k2 p H w, -a

. 4 w 6 1 M a9 am umber F. C. 'CROWE.

BENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION mso APR. 12, 192'.

1,414,340. Patented Mai 2,1 22f f 4/ 4 w 7 #138. /0 45 /4 Z7 Z mm QF E QFREDERICK o. onown, on LAKIMA, wnsnmeron, essreuon T0 VARIETY MAN-Urac-TUBING COMPANY, OF YAKI A, urn-summon.

Applicatibdfiled April 12',i92'1f. Serial no. 460,688.

T 0 aZZ whom it may coma-av Be'it known that I, FREDERICK (3.; Cnown;

a citizen of the United States, residing at Yakima, in YakimaCounty andState or 'Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin- Bending Machrnes,

of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improve ments 1n bending machines"adapted espe-' daily for the purpose of forming flanges in sheet metalblanks in the process-of forniing tubes; as stove pipes, or othertubular structures having' -a lon itudinal seam for locking theadjoiningedges in the completion of the pipe or tube. The primary objectofthe inventionis-the provision of a machine of this character that iscomparatively simple in constructionand operation, durable, andlnexpenslve in cost of manufacture. To this end the 1nvent1on= involvescertain novel combinations and arrangements of parts involvingprogressive sets of bending rollers forsuccessivel'y bending the edgesof a sheet of metal preparatory to 1nterlocking the completed blank intotubular form, and in certain other novel features of construction as;Will be h'ereinafter more fully pointed out and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one complete example1015 the physical embodiment of my thus far devised for the practicalapplication of the principles ofmy; inventlon. It

will be understood that the embodiment" shown may be changed and alteredas desired Within the scope of my appended claims without departing fromthe splrit of my invention.

Figure 1 is a vlewin side elevation of a machine embodying my invention,with a portion of the frame at the near side of the 'section todi'solose the arrangement of parts. Figure: 4 is an end view of one ofa-parrof guide dies or blocks tor'theedges of the sheet being bent inthe machine.-

Figures 5', sand 7 show diagrammatically the three sets ofprogressive'bending rollers invention wherein the parts are combmed andarranged acc'ordmg to the best mode I have machine. ,7 I g Figure 8sho-Wsthe' iconcav'ed and eonvexedfeed-rolls tolconform to the shapev-ofthe rolled pipe, s V I v The prefer complementary edges of a sheet metalplate that has previously been shaped to tubular form order topro-vi'd'ethe necessary i nterlocking'flanges or bends that are subsequently laidor compressed into a seam, as

for instance in the formation of a stove pipe, and 'vvhile sheet metalmay be bent in the machine for-other uses, for convenience ofdescription; 'the'tube Will be referred" to here' indicated in Figures 6and ings by -the' letter S. j v V, 3 The machine is supported on a mainindicating their functions" :the bending .inafter as a stove pipe,-parts of Which are I 7 ofthedrawframefincluding the uprights 1,- I andtopplates 2',"a'nd the frame Which is of suitable height and requiredstrength; may be braced and fixed togetherin usual'or -\vell l'rn'o-vvnmanner." The previously. bent" or shapednall-y extending edgesthat areto be bent or sheet of metal'is introduced-tdthe machine. presenting oneend tot-he guide rollers 3', 4, and 5- with the complementary,-longitudrjj flanged-at the top,; the bodyof "the sheet-be:

ing pushed over, the horizontal, concave roller 5 and thetwo'freefledgesotthe sheet held or restrained' 'by the enlarged, upperends of the tapered and concave rollers 3 and l which are disposed inperpendicular position to the roller 53 Thus the'three roll- I V ersguide the sheet of metal. to the machine by means ot which itslongitudinal edges are flanged orjbent for subsequent interlocking.

One of the cross or top plates 2 is utilized to support the upper endsof the vertical guide rollersandf angle brackets 6' and 7 are utilizedto support theloWerends of] these rollers," as Well as to supportthezhorizontal roller 5'. mentary and are bolted to the inner facesofthe uprightsl, 1 of'the tr ame,' and the three rollers are'adjustablysupported each on a i i v pair of bearing-plates 8 *Which have journalsThe angle brackets are comple- 9 fixed therein, and the journals on:which the rollers are fixed, passthroughslots in" l;

' the cross' pla te Qand angled' brackets 6"'an'clf 7 respectively. p

The bearing plates which support the p red form of the invention at&illustrated ln the drawings isespecially" adapted for use in fianging orbending the 1 journals of the guide rollers are secured to the crossplate and angle brackets by bolts 10, and the supports for these plateshave the scope of the slots and the springs 45'enthe bearings will keepthe guide rolls adjusted to the lesser, limit, and provide a meanswhereby taper pipe may be handled and properly. guided. It w1ll thus beapparent that the vertical rollers are adjustable laterally'and thehorizontal roller -is adjustable vertically in their supporting elementsor members, and Wlll' automatlcally expand or separate as the diameterof the pipe increases. The metal bending machinery is compactly arrangedand supported in a central- .housing 12 which extending longitudinallyof the machine, projects for-ward between the two vertical guide rollersand backward a suitable distance therefrom to support the progressivebending mechanisms. The machine is preferably actuated from a drivinggear 13 encased within the housing, the drivenpulley 14 and shaft 15.The driving shaft 15 passes transversely through the housing and carriesthe driving gear-13, and

the shaft is journaled in, bearings as at 16 on themain frame; The threesets of pro gressive ben'dingjrollers are designated respectivelylZ, l8and 19, each set comprising twov pairs and the pairsv 0f the sets arelocatedatthe respective sides and exterior of. the centrally locatedhousing, thus per- 'mitting the complementary'edges, of the tubularsheet of metal to pass along at the respective sides of the housing'asthebend ing progresses.

The feed rolls and the sets of bending rollers are directly andpositively operated from the driving gear 13 in the housing, the thirdset 19 having'apair of co-ac'ting gears 20 and 21; the second set18.having co-act ing gears 22 and 23, both gear sets being drivenfromthe driving gear 13. The driving gear also operates an idle gear 24which drives the gear set '25, 26 of the first set of bending rollers,and the gear 26 operates the idle gear 50 which drives the gear set46,4? of the feed rolls. I The feed rolls which are used to convey thesheet. metal pipe are placed inv advance of the forming rolls to engagethe sheet metal and pass it V on to the'forming' rolls and these feedrolls 7 have concave edges on the bottom set 49 and are convex on thetopset48 to substantially conformto the curvature of the sheet metal,

the direction of rotation being indicated by The'sheet arrows in Figure1 where the gears are in} dicated by dotted lines.

Thus all the rollers are timed and synchronized to exert the sametraction 01' fric tional engagement with the sheet metal passing throughthe machine, and the progressive bendingcrollers also form the, feedmechanism, operated from the driving shaft 5 15, for ehmlnatlng unequalstresses, and

preventing buckling of the metal sheet in its forward movement.

The first set of formingrollers as indicated in Figures 3 and 5 comprisea pair of upper, complementary double rollers 27;,27 H

and a complementary pair of flanged rollers 28,281 which co-act to forma vertical, up-. .wardly extending flange between rollers27 and 28 atthe left in F igurer5, and a ver tical, downwardly extending flangebetween the reversely arranged rollers .27 and 28 at the right side ofthe figure, these'flanges being bent at right angles to :alinetangential i with the periphery of the tubebeing formed.

As the forward end of the sheet passes 1 through the first set ofrollers the flanged edges encounter a guide block or die 29, one

attached at each exterior side of the housing in proper alinement toreceive the flanged edges, and these blocks are fashioned with L-shapedslots 30 extending horizontally therethrouglnthe right hand guide blockin Figure 4 being adapted to receive the downwardly extending flange,and the'left'hand j block having its slot shaped to receive theupwardlyextending flange at the left of the.

housing.

metal fed forward bythegflrst set of bending rollers, throughthej guideblocks 29 to the secondset, where a more acute angle is imparted to theflanges, as:

The second set of;

indicated in Figure 6.

bendingrollers include a pair of conical upper and lower rollers-81, 31one at each I cemplementaryjpair of inner beveled rollers 32, and inconjunction with this set of rollers I employ a pair of rotary anvils inv the'form of a horizontally disposed conical roller 33, and anangularly CllSPOS6ClyCOX1lC-ll roller 34, at opposite sides of thehousing and journaled in brackets secured to the housing. As the flangededges of the metal sheet pass through these rollers, theflanges are bentin substantially the same plane, at acute anglesto the tangential lineof the periphery of the tube being formed, as indicated at S in Figure6.

The sheet is now being fed forward-by the tractive force of the two setsof -r ollers .17 and 18, andthe frontfend of'the sheet with its acutelyformed flanges is introduced tothe third and'final set of bendingrollers indicated as 19. This final set comprises a pair of upper andlower outwardly beveled rollers 35,35 and a complementary V side-of thehousing, which co-act with the i the machine and the, edges flanged orbent to. the desired formation to permit subsequently interlocking ofthe flanges to formthe seam.

The shafts of the rollers are designated by the numeral 37, and some ofthese shafts may have adjustable hearings, to take up wear, and toafford-adjustment of the co-' acting rollers. Thus the housing may beslotted as at 88 to permit movement of the shafts, and the shafts of theupper rollers may be retained in adjustable bearing blocks 39 encasedwithin the housing. These blocks may be adjusted as to their altitude byscrew bars 40, and clamped in proper position by clamp nuts 41 bearingon the top surface of V V the housing.

After the seaming or bending machine has performed its functions asabove descrlbed,

the tubular sheet with its properly formed flanges may be formed into acompleted tube and the seam laid as before indicated.

To insure accurate and rapid feed ng of the sheet metal pipe a taperedfeed guide 42 is mounted on the central housing 12 with its upper edgeor face in a direct horizontal line with the forming rolls at the pointwhere the upper and lower rolls meet and erected on this taper feedguide on the upper side thereof is awedge plate-43 to separate thelongitudinal edges of thepipe to a width to correspond to the width ofthe housing thus spacmg the edges of the pipe so as to be properlyreceived by the forming rolls; This guide may be made of varyingsizes'to correspond With the Various sizes of pipe.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination with a longitudinallydisposed central housing, a driving. pulley, shaft, and a driving gearon s'aidshaft encased in the housing, of feed rolls and progressive setsof bending rollers having transverse shafts in said housing andarinterposed rangedat the sides'of the housing, a gear set foreachroller set actuated from the driving gear, guide rollers, forintroducing a sheet metal to the first roller set, and a feed guide forseparating the edges of the sheet metal to be received'by the formingrolls, as described.

2. The combination with a longitudinally disposed central housing ofguide rollers therein and operating means for said rollers .65 andprogressive bending rollers supported within the housing, each set. ofrollers comprising a pair of rollers at each side of the' f byoppositely extending flanges are. formed along the proximate edges'of asheet of a housing arranged in inverted relation wheremetal, for thepurpose. described.

3. The combination with a longitudinally disposed central housing, ofp'rogressive bending rollers upported thereln .and 0Per- 7 i .atingmeans for said rollers within the housing, each set ,of rollerscomprising a pair of rollersarranged ini'nverted order at op- 'positesides of the "housing, one of said, sets having a. pair of co-ac'ting,.conical,"anvi l Y rollers, and means for operating said operatingmeanswhereby the sets of rollers are synchronously actuated, and anadvance set,

of rollers tofeed'a metal sheet through said sets.

'said housing, gears on said shafts actuated 4. The combination with alongitudinally disposed central housing, a drive shaft, a drive pulleyand a drive gear thereon en-y g from the driving gear, adjustablebearing blocks for some of said shafts within the rollers.

5. The combination in a metal bending machine with adjustable, concave,{,guide between two sets of bendingrollers forming a circular spacetherebee a tween, of a central, longitudln'al houslng and a driving geartherein suitably actuated,

progressive sets of bending rollersanda set J of feed rollers at thesides of said housing and connections thereto from the driving gear, andmeans, for adjusting the bearings of some of said bending rollers, asde-- scribed.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

FREDERICK o. ,CBOWE.

